The Fate of the Ring
by Crackalive
Summary: One village. One team. One Ring to rule them all. One quest to end it all. Naruto universe fused with some elements of LOTR and A:TLA
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Three Rings for the Spirits-kings under the sky,  
__Seven for the Realm-lords in their halls of stone,  
__Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,  
__One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne  
__In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.  
__One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,  
__One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them  
__In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie._

Hashirama stared down the three Elder spirits.

The first Hokage's delegation cowered behind him. The erethreal beings, chakra escaping in glowing wisps, towered above them. They were the aspacts of Tiger, Dragon and Snake, the oldest and most powerful.

"Hand over the Ring, mortal." their voices intoned in unison.

The Hokage turned to the Uchiha standing by his side. Madara handed over the box and stepped back. It opened with a click in Hashirma's hands, revealing a simple golden band resting on a black cushion. He placed it on his palm.

It glowed red-hot, but did not burn his palm. The black markings of the Ring's recently defeated owner were visible to all.

"Quickly, mortal. It cannot be destroyed by any power you possess." The spirits ignored the man's sigh. "It is an agen of coruption and you will surely fall-"

"Enough." he said calmly.

Hashirama's men gasped in shock. Their leader was a great hero, but the Spirit kings were far beyond him! Why dare interrupt them?! Their eyes widened when his hand closed around the Ring.

"My people have fought and bled for this Ring. You say that it can corrupt any soul..." his voice turned to steel. "What says that you are free from its influence?"

The spirits were taken aback by the accusation. Dragon reared its head and Snake's tongue flicked the air. The ground rumbled.

"We are your final hope! The Ring can only be destroyed in the Spirit realm!"

Madara frowned as he gazed upon Hashirama's back. He trusted him to make the right decision.

"I have not to come today to submit the fate of my land to you."

Madara shuffled uneasily, wondering what was the reason behind all of this.

The first Hokage continued as if unaware of the spirits' indignation. "I refuse to give up such power and you cannot convince me that you do not want it for yourselves! This is a mortal affair, and we will deal with it in our own way."

Tiger growled, Dragon spat fire but Snake slithered next to the man.

"You are free to refuse our offer..." it hissed. "but if you bring about the return of Sauron the Deciever, then it will be our affair as well. We will be forced to intervene."

Hashirama smiled but did not answer. He opened up his palm and picked up the Ring.

"Madara."

The Uchiha stepped forward with a stern face. His gaze lingered on the Ring before returning to Hashirama.

"I relinquish my ownership over the Ring. Take it."

Snake pulled back, startled. The mortal would give it up willingly?

Madara reached for the Ring, unsure of what to do. He would follow the Hokage gladly for the good of the village, even if he disagreed sometimes, but now he could not see how refusing the Spirit kings' offer to dispose of the Ring would help them.

The God of Shinobi faced him and dropped the ring in his open palm.

"Do agree to burden youself with the Dark Ring and swear to work toward its ultimate destruction?"

Madara narrowed his eyes. What was he up to? Snake hovered above them, watching their every move.

"I accept."

"Then it has been decided." Hashirama turned to face the three Spirit kings. "The fate of the Ring shall be decided by mortals."

* * *

_60 years later..._

Tenten brought her foot down. A pillar of stone shot upwards at the other end of the training ground. Sakura, her hands wrapped in tendrils of clear water, sidestepped the attack and lashed out.

The clear liquid splashed against a last-second earth wall. Sakura smirked and pulled back the tendrils. They circled in the air before she brought them crashing down again. Their razor-sharp edges carved through the stone, revealing... emptiness.

Sakura dropped her smirk.

Her eyes darted left and right, and she instinctively pulled the water closer.

The ground split open and Tenten re-emerged behind her. Sakura spun around instants before a slab of rock was sent flying at her. It impacted against a shield of hastily formed ice.

The brunette clenched her jaw and pulled more stone out of the ground. Her feet slid forward, and she kicked the levitating block through the ice.

Sakura shifted to the side just as her defenses crumbled away. Frowning with concentration, she brought her hands together in a sweeping movement that ended pointing at Tenten's feet. The crushed ice melted and rushed low towards her opponent.

Tenten spotted the movement and crouched. As she leapt, earth followed her and took her away from the approaching water. The kunoichi closed her eyes the moment she was on solid ground again.

She had trained for weeks to do this. She could do it!

Tenten felt the vibrations emanating from where Sakura stood. She tapped the ground with her left foot and felt her chakra take hold of a mass of rock. When she brought her leg up for a right kick, the rock broke through the surface and formed a jagged spike aimed at Sakura.

The waterbender dodged the attack and sliced off the sharp tip. Tenten tapped the ground again and repeated the attack. Mechanically, she lauched spike after spike, rythmically tapping her left foot and whipping the air with her right.

Sakura eventually launched a counterattack, reaching with her tendrils. Tenten switched feet, blocked with a mound of earth and resumed her onslaught.

"Hey! Can I join in?!"

Both girls froze and watched the loud blond weave through the forest of spikes and pillars on a ball of air.

"No!" they shouted together.

Naruto jumped off and slumped his shoulders. Sulking, he turned around and started walking back slowly.

Sakura opened her gourd and filled it back up with water, fuming. She stomped off to catch up with Naruto. Guessing that the sparring session was over, Tenten bent down to massage her right knee. She grimanced when a burst of pain answered her touch. She had to train that stance more often, but not today.

Tenten looked at the fiery horizon. The sun had nearly set and there still was no sign of _him_.

"Hey, wait up!" Sakura shrieked.

Naruto turned away from his pink-haired teammate. He only stopped when she grabbed his sleeve and jerked on it.

"What's wrong with you?! And why are you so late?"

"You said we were going to train together!" He gestured towards the upturned training ground. "You promised you'd wait for me..."

Sakura blinked. "You're... How do you even think like that?"

"Huh?"

Sakura's fist knocked him to the ground. "You're three hours late! And YOU'RE the one who's angry?!"

Naruto rubbed his head while she muttered something about him being a 'clueless idiot'. He looked up at her and licked his lips.

"But you promised... I was looking forward to showing you my new moves."

Sakura looked away as he got up, crossing her arms. "I know. We _did _wait."

Naruto smiled slighly.

"He's coming for sure, if that's what you want to know."

Sakura blushed and hid her face in the lengthening shadows. "I know he will. At least _he _keeps his promises."

Naruto nodded and followed her back to the center of the clearing. They found Tenten sitting on a tree stump, scraping off the mud between her toes.

"That's disgusting," Sakura remarked.

Tenten ignored her and turned to Naruto. "You finally got here. What took you so long?"

"Ah, well..." Naruto scratched his hair, trying to think of way to conserve his dignity. "Jiraiya, he...uh, told to me to do some stealth exercises because, like, they're important for becoming a true nin-"

Sakura ended his quote with a light shove. Tenten rolled her eyes, smiling.

"He made you watch out for him at the bath house again, didn't he?"

Naruto stared at his feet, not bothering to deny the fact.

"So..." His eyes moved back to Tenten. "When's he coming?"

The blond's expression became serious. "His clan is letting him go after all these years, and he said something about an important announcement to make." Naruto frowned. "At least, I think he did."

His pink-haired teammate bopped him on the head again. "You forgot what he said?!"

Tenten rolled her eyes as the two bickered. Sometimes, she really missed her old teammates. She remembered Lee and her chest hurt again. The earthbender spotted two red dots in the shadows between the trees. They expanded into a pair of spinning pupils.

Sakura stiffened. Naruto waved happily.

"Pretty boy is here for you." sneered Tenten.

"Sh-shut up, tomboy." Sakura stammered in response.

Sasuke stepped out of the shadows. He wore his traditional dark blue Uchiha outfit, in addition to a pair of black gloves.

"Good evening," he said, voice low and cold.

Naruto took him into a hug and patted his back. Sasuke cracked a smile at him. Sakura hesitated and simply took his arm. He gave her a nod while she blushed.

"So, what's the big idea?"

Sakura glared at Tenten for being so direct. The brunette shrugged and looked back at Sasuke, hands still working on her toes. He cleared his throat as Naruto and Sakura stepped away to let him speak.

"I'm very sorry for making you three wait. The clan proceedings took more time than expected, despite my insistence that they be shortened."

Tenten failed to imagine the polite Sasuke insisting for anything.

The Uchiha continued. "With the support of my sensei, I demonstrated the necessary skills and ..." He looked over at Naruto. The latter gripped his shoulder. "I took the oath."

There was a moment of silence as they digested the news. Tenten winced. To give up his life's purpose like that...

"The four of us are an official team now. Naruto, has Jiraiya completed your training?"

The blond ninja nodded with a grin. "Weeks ago. We were just waiting for you."

The Uchiha sighed and flexed his gloves. He had used its power earlier, and his right hand still felt cold and numb.

"Well then..." Sasuke declared. "Our quest to destroy the Ring starts now."

* * *

**A crossover!**

**This is Kishimoto's universe, with Tolkien's mythology sprinkled on top and fused with the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. **

**The story is completely my own, so you will not be seeing the Fellowship or Aang's gang. There are no original characters either, and if anyone has read my previous work, there's nothing to worry about when it comes to writing the canon ones.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own any of the copyrighted cashcows mentioned in this story. **

* * *

The Third Hokage took one last puff from his pipe and put it down.

In front of him were four young women and men, standing at attention. He wondered if they knew how much rested on their shoulders. Odorant smoke swirled around him.

"The One Ring..." he started. "has been both a burden and a privilege to the Fire Nation. The Daimyo has entrusted us with it, and we are respected for that."

Sarutobi exhaled the last of the smoke in his lungs. His eyes rested on each of them in turn.

"Our research into its powers has been disappointing. For decades, the Uchiha clan bore many sacrifices in their quest to understand the Ring, and in return we hosted and protected them. They have kept it secret for many years."

There was a knock on the office door. The Hokage gestured towards Shizune, his assistant. She walked around the desk and slipped outside.

"The Ring might be legend today..." Sarutobi continued, voice worn by age. "but if any of the other nations were to learn of its location, we would have an army at the gates in a matter of days."

The Hokage shook his head bitterly.

"They are wrong however," Sarutobi reprised. "The clan's final opinion is that the cost in life and sanity will forever be greater than the benefits. The Ring cannot be used... it is a tool of darkness, and it only spreads pain and corruption. Today, we can finally get rid of it. "

His gaze shifted to Naruto.

"It is very different from the one you carry, Naruto. The Ninth Ring gives power; it derives it from the Tailed Beast sealed within. The Dark Ring... takes power. It was formed from the very flesh of the Gedou Mazou, and it feeds on chakra and the mind equally." Sarutobi nodded towards the dark-haired ninja. "The Uchiha have the ability to overcome the Ring's corrupting influence, but it is still a terrible trail to bear it."

With the edge of her eyes, Tenten noticed Sasuke's stiffening.

"I trust that you will support and accompany him as you have been requested to do... but also as a friend." Naruto nodded vigorously. "You two have grown up together. I personally intervened to stop the Uchiha clan from keeping him as a recluse." The blond smiled. The Hokage waved his finger at the four of them. "All of you! Sasuke is essential to this mission, and we cannot afford to lose him."

"Hai!" the team exclaimed.

A warm silence settled at the end of the Hokage's speech. Shizune returned behind the Hokage's seat, placing a handful of folders on the desk. Sarutobi thanked her silently and opened the first one. He made a low grunt and returned his attention to the ninja in front of him.

"The four of you haven't been chosen just because you know each other. Sasuke, you will bear the Ring. Sakura, you have already worked with Naruto and Tsunade has personally recommended you" The girl blushed slightly. "Tenten, you show exceptional talent when it comes to Earthbending, and following the Invasion... you were placed on Naruto's team. Naruto, as Jinchuuriki, you will be the one to open the spirit gates at the North Pole. I trust that you have successfully completed your training with Jiraiya?"

"I... ah, he said I did okay." the blond answered hesitantly.

Sarutobi hid his smile. "That's good enough, coming from him. With you, the team covers all four elements and will be prepared for any opponent."

The old man's knuckle rapped on the wooden desk. "Now listen carefully. This is a very delicate mission. You will have to traverse the Land of Waterfalls, then the entire Earth Nation. I am sure that you have heard the troubles we have had with them recently?"

The Hokage didn't wait for an answer.

"Understand this: if you are discovered, or worse, if they realize that Konoha's greatest weapon is travelling undercover in enemy lands, then we will have a war on our hands that we will be hard-pressed to win. Naruto, you are forbidden from using the Kyuubi's chakra, lest it be detected. You will be hunted down for your power, and it will be impossible to complete your mission. Sasuke..."

"Yes, Esteemed Leader?"

Sarutobi chuckled. "Just do your best."

* * *

"What was all that about?!" Tenten cried as soon as they left the Hokage Tower.

Naruto laughed nervously. "Ah, well, he's always like that, you know-"

"We've been training for the mission for months." Tenten threw her hands in the air. "I know every detail by heart!"

The blond frowned. "He just likes giving speeches before we... well, if I ever go on a mission, he makes time to see me in the office."

"The Hokage hold you in great esteem." Sasuke commented, voice low.

Tenten snorted and held up an imaginary pipe.

"Konoha's greatest weapon!" she quoted. "The fate of the world rest of your shoulders!"

Sakura giggled when Sasuke, startled, couldn't decide between laughing and reprimanding Tenten for her lack of respect. The brunette bowed, enjoying Naruto's embarrassment. "How could we ever repay you, village hero?!"

"Mountains of ramen!" Sakura answered with a laugh.

Naruto grinned at her. "Actually... good idea. Let's head to Ichiraku's."

Tenten groaned. "Again?" She prodded Sasuke's shoulder. "Say something! He's always dragging you there."

"Well, I do have to say goodbye to the old man..." Naruto scratched his head. "Might as well have lunch there."

"Flawless logic." Sakura deadpanned.

The four of them were soon headed to the ramen stand despite the protests. As they drew up to the stand, they noticed that all the seats were already occupied. Naruto frowned. Even the seat which had his name on it had someone sitting on it.

"Naruto!"

The four of them looked up and saw Ayame pulling aside the blinds. The waved her ladle to bring them closer.

"Hi Ayame!" Naruto exclaimed. He motioned towards the seats hidden by the hanging fabric. "I'll come by later. It looks like you've got a full house."

"No it isn't." the woman said, grinning. "We were waiting for you!"

Naruto turned to Sasuke and mouthed a 'We?'. The Uchiha shrugged and nudged him forward. Sakura followed, crinkling her nose. Tenten glanced at the pink-haired kunoichi and refrained from teasing her. Ramen wasn't that bad... but then again, Sakura had followed Naruto here for much longer than she had. She shrugged off her thoughts and hurried to follow the others.

Shouts and laughter started soon as they entered.

Shikamaru, Ino and Choji from Team Asuma, Neji, Hinata and Shino from Team Kurenai were all present. The Nara waited for the cries of 'Naruto!' and 'Hero!' to die down before standing up and offering his seat to the blond. Naruto sat down, beaming. Ayame placed a bowl of steaming ramen in front of him with a wink.

"The Hero of the Village has graced us with his presence!" Shikamaru said, mocking.

Naruto rubbed his head, embarrassed. "Enough with the hero thing, guys..."

"No!" shouted Ino. "You deserve it. You saved the village once already, and you're prepared to do it once again!"

Tenten smiled along with Naruto, but she watched Sasuke warily. He wasn't good with people, and surprises like these were his worst nightmare.

"Y-you know about..." Naruto stuttered. "You know, _the mission?_"

Shikamaru gave him a blank stare. Seconds later, Sakura fist has left a mark on his skull.

"Idiot! They're going in as backup! Of course they know!"

The ninja present winced but nodded nonetheless.

Ayame spoke up. "They came waiting for you here when you were called by the Hokage."

"We came to say goodbye." Neji sounded from the other end of the stand. His pale eyes bore into Naruto's. "We are all heading towards a dangerous endeavor, and we won't be seeing each other for a long time."

Another round of cries followed, but quickly died down when Hinata stood up. Her gaze met Tenten's, making the brunette look away.

"This time, we will say goodbye to each other properly." Her eyes became misty. "We missed the chance when we were a-all together last t-time."

The Hyuuga forced a smile and raised her drink. "To Naruto."

The answers were much more sedate this time. They raised their glasses together as they remembered their losses. Neji gripped Hinata's shoulder as she returned to her seat.

"We follow orders and put ourselves at risk when a mission absolutely _has_ to be completed. We must cherish these moments we have together." Neji continued. "It is our duty as ninja!"

Shikamaru smirked at the nods. "It is also our duty... as friends."

Everyone looked at Shikamaru. He hid his hands in his pockets and shifted uncomfortably. Naruto stared at him... and smiled.

"Yeah!"

"YEAH!"

"Let's celebrate!" Ino shouted.

There was a slight pause as Choji stopped eating, looked around and brought up a bottle of sake from his bag.

"HELL YEAH!"

Tenten tutted and shook her head, grinning. Having the Rookies to get together like this made her feel at home. However, she couldn't stay. She turned to leave and prepare for the next day.

A hand gripped her arm and turned her around. Sasuke stared at her.

"Leaving, Tenten?"

Tenten nodded silently. How could she explain how uncomfortable she was celebrating while the friends here were absent hung at her side? She hadn't forgotten them. Hinata's look told her she hadn't either.

She then realized that Sasuke wasn't oblivious to the fact. This was his own awkward way of helping her.

"I bid you to stay longer. You are part of my team... I need you here." His gaze shifted nervously to the ninja busy distributing drinks. "Please?"

Tenten sighed and turned around. Sasuke couldn't stand being surrounded by people without latching onto a familiar presence. With Naruto busy being the center of attention and Sakura catching up with her old friends, he was alone. His agoraphobia was also a plausible excuse to keep her with him.

"Fine, but find me a seat first."

The Uchiha grinned, his grip still strong on her arm.

She swallowed her feelings, put on a merry face and walked back in.

* * *

"Wake up!" Kakashi snapped.

The four ninja groaned as they plodded towards the village gate in full gear.

"Not so loud..." Sakura whispered, rubbing her temples.

The silver-haired jonin eyed them and moved on.

Tenten followed him with murderous eyes. She was terrible with alcohol, and she was certain that Kakashi was heckling them in public for his own amusement.

"Hey Kakashi!" Naruto cried. "Why do we have to take so many detour-ack!"

The blond's mouth was shut by Sakura's kick. She had tried to outdrink Ino, and had lost. Badly.

Sasuke watched the others with an absent gaze.

"This is it." Kakashi told them.

"Whaaaaat? We aren't even near the main gate-gargh!"

The jonin shook his head.

"You didn't think we'd head out through the front door to go on a super secret mission?"

Tenten raised an eyebrow. There was nothing ahead of them other than an alley branching off the marketplace, lined with closed storefronts. Washing lines and electrical wires crisscrossed overhead, and overflowing dustbins gave off the heavy, musky odor of rotting fruit.

Kakashi walked a few steps and pointed down. A manhole. Sakura cursed her luck. First, Sasuke had ignored her all night. The she'd lost to Ino. Now, she had a killer headache... and they were going to go through the sewers.

"Come on now, we don't want to be late for saving the world!" The silver-haired ninja crouched to open the manhole. An overpowering smell of _shit _washed over the team. "I hope you didn't upset your stomachs with anything last night. Tenten, you can go first."

Kakashi bowed and showed her the way. The brunette's eyes shot daggers. Real daggers were not far behind. Kakashi smiled, closing his one eye, and waved his hands for her to hurry along.

With the team underground, Kakashi picked up the manhole cover and opened his eye. He stared at the shadows between the market stalls for a long moment before going in himself.

Just what were Danzo's agents doing here? he asked himself.

* * *

**Enemies inside and out, eh?**

**The reasons behind each character's behavior will be explained in due time. You can figure out most of it from their little reunion, and infer the rest from what I've written so far.**

**I prefer 'you know' over 'dattebayo'.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own this, I don't own that. **

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Naruto whined.

Kakashi trudged on, ignoring him. Sasuke glanced at the blond and raised his hand higher. Blue flames flickered on his palm, lighting up the sewer.

In front of them glinted a metal ladder. Kakashi stepped towards it and gripped the first rung.

"I'll go up first," drawled the group's jounin. "Wait for my signal."

He was halfway up before he finished talking. Seconds later, a sunlight flooded. Outside, Kakashi eyed the surroundings warily. He was taking extra precautions after having spotted the Root ninja. Wherever they went, troubled followed. On the other hand, telling the team about this would worry them needlessly before they were even out of the village, so he kept his thoughts to himself and made an second sweep.

Soon after, they heard three metal clangs. Kakashi's signal. Naruto jumped onto the ladder and clambered up first. Sakura followed, with Sasuke tailed by Tenten. The kunoichi mindlessly scratched a stain on bottom rung. It brought back memories of the countless hours she had spend cleaning the village's vast sewer system as part of Gai's 'disciplinary training'.

"Tenten!"

"Coming!" she cried back, and hurried up the ladder.

The blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright outside light. Around her were trees reaching for the sky. As she stepped away from the sewer opening, she noticed that it was ingeniously disguised by a chest-high bush that ran all around it.

"I didn't know the sewers went this far out." Tenten said.

Sakura locked the manhole closed and threw the key back to Kakashi. "They do. This line opens up at Tokoro river." She tapped her ear. "Listen carefully, it's that way."

Tenten nodded and took her word for it. Waterbenders often spoke of 'hearing' water to others when explaining their ability to sense it.

Up ahead, Kakashi cleared his throat. "We have to get moving."

* * *

The jounin took them on a forced march that cut right through the forest. With each step, the undergrowth thickened and soil thinned, exposing roots and rocky outcrops. With midday approaching, the air trapped under the forest canopy became thick and unbearably hot.

"Kakashiiiiiii!" Naruto whined. He smacked away a low-hanging branch out of the way. "We have to-ack!"

The branch had smacked him back.

The silver-haired ninja raised an eyebrow and stopped to turn around. He eyed the blond picking himself from the ground with a thoughtful expression.

"Do you think we should stop?" he asked.

"YES-"

"Considering the fact-"

"FINALLY!" Naruto shouted. He plopped down on a patch of dirt with a relieved sigh. Sakura dropped her backpack and sat down next him. Just as Sasuke began loosening the straps on his shoulders, Kakashi smiled.

"I see that you have went ahead and decided. I agree, we should stop for a while." A shiver ran up their spines as they watched him tap his chin playfully. "We have to make the most of this moment, I wonder how..."

"Huh?"

"You four have yet to show me how strong and coordinated you have become since you all became chuunin! The village elders are sending you off on a dangerous mission halfway around the world, can you believe that?" His became colder as he spoke. "Well, I don't. I have my own little test before we continue."

The chuunin watched wide-eyed their most hated object in existence slide out of the ninja's pocket. It tinkled and glinted and elicited unrestrained groans of despair.

"Yes, my little ones. The test starts now!"

Kakashi jumped back as soon as he finished speaking. Sasuke immediately inhaled and looked around for an opening. Sakura gasped and rolled out of the way. A stream of blue flames followed the jounin. A burst of red fire countered the technique, and where the two attacks met, the ground charred.

Naruto rolled onto his feet seconds later. He swung his arms to channel air down the stream of blue fire, fueling it and turning it into a rolling river of destruction. His ring glowed brightly as he did so.

Eventually, the boys ended their techniques. Sakura walked out from behind the stone shelter Tenten had raised. She looked around, water ready at the mouth of her gourd, only to see Naruto's shoulders slump.

"KAKASHI!" Naruto wailed. "Not again..."

The four of them scanned the area, trying to spot the silver-haired ninja between the falling leaves and burnt wood.

"He's..."

"Same as last time." Sakura sighed.

Tenten closed her eyes and tries finding the jounin with her earth-sensing. She gave up soon afterwards: he was long gone. The rest of the team slumped to the ground, even more exhausted than before.

Tenten rubbed her toes into the ground, letting her earth walls crumble away. "Shall we go after him?"

"Naw."

Sasuke glanced at his pink-haired teammate sprawled on the ground and sat up. "After dozens of scenarios and 'tests' such as these, the three of us have reached the conclusion that is a futile endeavor to attempt tracking Kakashi." Tenten raised an eyebrow as the Uchiha joined his fingers together and continued his exposition. "As a team, we are performing sub-optimally due to the strain of a four-hour march through difficult terrain. I have ascertained through experience and experimentation that even our best attempts in perfect conditions, and even using unfair advantages, are bound to be a waste of our time and energy."

The earthbender had tuned out halfway through. Sasuke was unusually talkative in company of his team, and the words per speech decreased proportionately to the number of people he didn't know present. She smiled as she ran through her theory's conclusion and reached the image of a solitary Sasuke rambling on and on...

With a short swipe of her feet, she flattened a rocky outcrop and brought it up to waist level. Sakura joined her on the improvised bench, crinkling her nose. A foul smell was coming from the smoking undergrowth.

"Oh come on!" she cried. "You started a fire again."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "No kidding."

"No, no," Sakura insisted. "Both of them can firebend, and if they can start a fire, they can put it out too."

The girl scowled at her teammates. Naruto winced and got up, excusing himself.

"I put out my fires." a cold voice said.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke and softened her scowl.

"I can help!"

"No! You make it worse half the time." Naruto frowned, hurt by her words. "You started all of this in the first place! Whining in front of sensei..."

"Hey, Sakura." Tenten interjected. "Blow off your steam elsewhere, it's not his fault!"

"GARGH!"

Sakura threw her hands up in the air and stomped away, trailing water in her hands. Tenten watched her leave. She was her teammate, and she was caring and friendly. Whenever she got upset though, she became an absolute banshee. The earthbender shuffled her feet, causing a hole to appear just in front of the enraged kunoichi.

Sakura tripped, splashing water on herself. She kicked herself to her feet and glared back at the offender. Tenten grinned and waved. She recieved a bucketful of water to the face while Naruto suppressed his chuckles.

Satisfied, the waterbender turned around and walked towards the numerous fires that had been lighted throughout the forest floor. A smile broke her features. Only Tenten could change her mood like that. Naruto too, on occasion, but the former was better at it.

Her mood darkened once again as she started blasting the burning shrubs with water.

Sasuke never tried to change her mood or approach her at all. Even worse, this whole ordeal was making her appear weak in front of him. Now he'll never even consider me, she thought. It had barely been a four hour march, and while she was sweating and itching, her crush had enough breath in him to sit, composed and and calm, and chat with Tenten.

The kunoichi halted as she remembered how she had left the trio. Naruto was snoring and Tenten wasn't paying attention. She had left him talking all to himself! She ran back.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Sakura put on her brightest smile. "Want to share my bento? I made enough for the both of us."

Sasuke stopped mid-sentence and looked at her blankly.

"Ah...Thank you, Sakura, but I must decline your offer." he said, half bowing

Sakura missed Tenten struggling to contain her laughter. The waterbender simply smiled back at Sasuke and looked away to hide her disappointment. She was just trying to help! The girl picked up her backpack from where she had dropped it and started fiddling with the zips. That's Sasuke, she told herself. So casual, so polite. He had even bowed to her! Despite being cooped up in the Uchiha compound, he's seen as much of her as of Naruto, and he certainly didn't bow to Naruto-

"Why are you so glum all the time?"

Sakura jumped, eyes darting from Tenten to Sasuke and back. Were they asking her? No. The kunoichi listen carefully to catch what she had missed while lost in her thoughts.

"I beg your pardon?"

Tenten crossed her arms, a cereal bar hanging from her lips. "You heard it. Here we are, enjoying a break after a long march, eating good food, next to people we know..." She made circles with her finger. "We're not in danger, and Kakashi won't be back for hours... so tell me. Why are you acting all sad about it?"

Her teammate nudged her in the ribs.

"Tenten! Don't talk to him like that!" Sakura hissed. She flashed an apologetic smile at the Uchiha. "He acts however he wants, right?"

Sakura waited, but hearing no further comments, shrugged and returned to her bag. She froze as words she never expected to hear reached her ears.

"Actually, I want to answer that."

"Sasuke..."

"It's okay." Sasuke said, firm. "She has to know."

Sakura spun from one teammate to another. "You said it would just be between us and Naruto!" The kunoichi winced, realizing what she had said. "Tenten... I didn't mean..."

"Yeah, I get it." Tenten snapped. Someone just had to go and remind her that she wasn't part of the team.

"No." Sasuke's voice made both girls pause. "You are both mistaken."

Tenten sat back down and forced herself to listen.

"Sakura, I said that my past was something something I'd share only with my team, not just you and Naruto. Tenten..." He inclined his head towards the brunette. "You are part of the team, and you should know too now."

The earthbender's anger was washed away by curiosity.

"Know what?"

* * *

Barely a hundred meters from where he had left the four chuunin, Kakashi found what he was looking for.

Three ninja climbed down from the trees and surrounded the jounin. They were clan in black from head to toe and armed only with a short tanto.

"State your business." he said in a tone reserved only for his enemies.

One of the ninja approached him silently, pulling out a scroll and handing it to him. Cautiously, he opened it. His eyes widened momentarily.

"You've got some nerve showing me this." The ninja in front of him remained silent. "You very well know that _he _has no power here."

Kakashi looked back down at the scroll in his hands. It was short and to the point. 'Return the Ring to the village or execute the bearer on the spot'. Signed Danzo. The jounin shook his head.

"This mission was ordained by the Hokage personally, and voted for by the Council. The Ringbearer will remain under my protection, and there's nothing three punks with a letter can change about that!"

The black-clan ninja tensed. Kakashi slowly tore the letter. They drew their blades.

"You want to do it that way?" the jounin sneered. "Fine by me."

The silver-haired ninja breathed in, then exhaled slowly. Flames appeared between his fingers, then dissapeared as they were replaced by cackling electricity. His opponents raised their tanto and crouched to strike.

The sky rumbled.

* * *

**Stuff is happening. Explanations are starting and the skies are rumbling ominously. What more do you want?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I like this chapter. Sasuke has a nice long chat and Kakashi works out a bit with a couple of friends.**

* * *

"It all started with Madara."

Tenten's eyes widened.

"He was the first to hold the Ring, and the first to fall to it. By the time Hashirama tore it off his finger, he was no longer human."

Tenten's eyes shifted involuntarily to the black gloves hiding Sasuke's hands.

"The First Hokage learned from the experience that no man could control the Ring alone, so he entrusted to to the entire clan. For decades, we experimented on the Ring, trying to find a way to use its power or to destroy it."

"Experimented?" Tenten asked. "The Hokage said..."

Sasuke cut her off with a glare. "Human subjects. Child sacrifices. That was what the Hokage _didn't _say."

The kunoichi's mouth opened and shut. Suddenly she froze in realization. "You! You-"

"Yes, me too. My brother as well." he said. Sakura, sitting next to him, patted his back. She pulled her arm back when he shot her a disapproving look.

"You never talk about your brother. Is he..." Tenten winced at her words. "Has he _departed_?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched but he forced himself to speak. "Itachi Uchiha is very much alive."

The murderous look in his eyes made her flinch and look away. He noticed and schooled his expression.

"I am sorry. My feelings are not directed at you."

Tenten waved her hands. "No no, I understand." She spotted Sakura frowning disapprovingly. "It's, uh... terrible."

The kunoichi felt really stupid saying that, but Sasuke chose to ignore her.

"Both of us were told to wear the Ring when we were five years old. We were the only ones of our group of children to withstand its influence for over a few minutes, and so we were chosen to be the next Ringbearers. However..." Sasuke's voice tightened. "One day Itachi was told to demonstrate his mastery over the Ring. He killed the other children, then the clan Elders, and then his... my mother."

Tenten blanched in horror.

"He was thirteen. He threw away the Ring and fled the village. My father went mad with grief and attacked the Yondaime Hokage along with the fathers of the dead children. He blamed Minato Namikaze for allowing the experiments to go on."

The Uchiha paused and gazed past Sakura at the sleeping form on the ground. A snore pulled a fleeting smile from his lips.

"That was the day Naruto became and I became orphans." He turned back to Tenten. "And now to answer your question..."

He pulled off his gloves and brought up his right hand for her to see. A simple golden band circled his index finger. Slowly, he took it between two fingers and pulled it off with a gasp of pain. Sakura gripped him, worried.

"I'm... I'm fine." he muttered, panting.

He rested the Ring on his palm, weighing it.

"The clan took special measures with me. From the moment I was deemed compatible with the Ring, I followed a strict program to control myself while wearing the Ring. Chakra cleansing, mantras, meditation... I did everything. Until I met Naruto, I never talked to someone outside of the-"

Sasuke grimaced in pain and put the Ring back on. He closed his eyes in relief and quickly put his gloves back on.

"Excuse me." He took a deep breath an continued. "Outside of the clan. Even today, I have to meditate before I go to sleep, so that it doesn't influence me in my dreams. There are things I can't do, or feel..." Sasuke shook his head with a grin. "It really is a burden."

Tenten noticed the faraway look in Sakura's eyes. She took note to ask her about it later.

"No-one has been able to do what I just did."

The kunoichi looked confused.

"Take off his Ring." Sakura filled in.

"Is it that hard to do?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes indeed. The Ring... the longer you wear it, the greater its pull on you. Like oxygen, you cannot live without it, and to take off the Ring is to hold your breath." His red eyes wandered to his right hand, resting on his knee. "When you take it off, it _screams _for you to put it back on. When you use its power, you never want to stop."

"B-but you control it, right?" Tenten asked, sounding positively worried.

"Yes. Better than anyone before. Despite that, I could still end up like my brother."

* * *

Electricity cackled between Kakashi's fingers.

Three black-clad ninja returned his gaze with dead eyes, tanto unwavering.

* * *

"You would never..." Tenten started.

"No. There's always a possibility." Sasuke said, raising his hand to stop her. "They thought the same way about Itachi. The clan went through the records over and over, and no-one knows why he did those things... and if no-one knows why, there is no way to stop it from happening again."

Tenten wanted to say something, but couldn't. He just sounded so _sad _to her.

"At any moment, something can change in me. I might end up attacking you and..." Sasuke lost his voice for a moment. "And you got your answer, Tenten."

"I... I did."

"Sasuke..." Sakura muttered. "Are you going to tell her about..."

The Uchiha stared at his pink-haired teammate clinging to his side and shuffled himself out of her grasp.

"No, that has nothing to do with this."

The earthbender looked at each of them in turn. Before she could ask anything, Naruto gasped and sprung to his feet.

"DID YOU FEEL THAT?!" he roared.

The rest of the team jumped up, startled.

"W-what is it?!" Tenten shrieked, still unsettled by Sasuke's story.

"I sense it too." Sasuke said, pointing to the right. "Kakashi's in trouble."

* * *

The three Root agents sprung into action.

The sparks between Kakashi's fingers grew into lightning bolts. With a flick of his wrists, they shot forward, carving through air then through flesh.

The jounin spun around even as his first victim fell dead. A sword swung at him. Kakashi ducked out of the way, catching the kick of his second opponent and transforming the movement into a roll.

Jets of flame erupted from his soles, causing the black-clad ninja to back away. They moved to his right and left.

Completing his roll, Kakashi pulled two kunai from his jacket. He crouched on his feet and glared at each of his opponents in turn. They had the advantage; he would have to turn his back to one of them to attack.

The pause lasted a second. During that time, the ninja exchanged nods, agreeing on a strategy to defeat their silver-haired opponent, while the latter charged his blades with electricity.

The one on his left sprung into action first. Kakashi reacted by shooting the charged blade in his direction. The ninja leapt out of the way. In the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw the blade descend on him. He sidestepped the attack and brought his knee up to ram it into his assailant.

It didn't feel right.

Kakashi aborted his counterattack and brought his armguards over his head. Metal clashed against metal. Fire burst from his hands as he spun around, catching and burning the man behind him.

The jounin quickly backstepped away from the flames. The dying man's partner appeared in front of him in a flash. His tanto rushed forward, aimed at his gut. Kakashi swung his arms around, flames following the movement.

The Root agent ducked under the jets of flame, then jumped over the ones aimed at his feet. He lashed out with his sword before the jounin could transform his flames into lightning. His eyes widened when he saw Kakashi's outstretched hand reach for his head. He crouched and grabbed the hand and pulled it over his shoulder.

Searing heat lit his fingers on fire.

As if oblivious to the pain, the man position himself inside of Kakashi's center of gravity and slammed his hips into Kakashi's stomach.

Kakashi was sent flying over his enemy.

The other man mustered whatever strength remained in his charred fingers to twist his opponent's arm into a lock, hissing in pain. Kakashi felt himself being turned face-down onto the ground. He knew what was coming next. The tanto sliced down.

"SENSEI!"

A ball of wind slammed into the Root agent's chest, knocking him against a tree.

Kakashi rushed to his feet and sent a bolt of lightning through his opponent's chest.

"I think he's dead..."

The jounin spun to face his pink-haired subordinate, still feeling the rush of adrenalin. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The three ninja weren't just any Root agent: they were the best non-benders in Konoha.

He watched his former students stiffen at the sight of two other corpses. Sakura shuffled next to him and gripped his arm.

"You're bleeding." she muttered.

'Hm' he grunted in return. He relaxed his arm as he felt healing water envelop it. With his other arm, he signalled to the other members of the team.

"WHAT HAPP-"

"Shut up, Naruto." Kakashi snapped. "You two, search them. Tenten, prepare to get rid of them."

The kunoichi nodded without hesitation and settled into an earthbending stance. The others walked nervously up to the bodies.

Naruto clenched his hands and crouched next to Kakashi's first victim. A ragged hole had been torn through the heart. Sasuke knelt next to the second ninja to fall and steeled his emotions. He had seen dead bodies before. A body disfigured by fire struck closer home than he wanted though. Soon, both young men were dragging the corpses into graves Tenten had dug up.

"They didn't have anything on them." Naruto said.

Sasuke dropped his body into the hole and dusted his hands. He looked a bit pale. "This one's molar was hollow."

"That's where the cyanide goes!"

The four chuunin gave him empty looks. Kakashi smiled at them and clapped his hands.

"There'll certainly be more of them, so if you're done yet-" he looked at Sakura. "-we'll have to move on."

The kunoichi retracted her water with a scowl. She had barely closed the skin.

"Who were they?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi motioned towards the ground and started walking. Tenten closed the graves with a sweep of her foot.

"They were old friends of mine."

* * *

**Kakashi used to be in ROOT, but that's the least interesting bit of history in this chapter :)**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**PS: If there ain't a Romance tag, there ain't no pairing.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Belated excuses for a belated chapter.**

* * *

_Four days later._

The five ninja trudged through the forest in complete silence.

They had ploughed through the difficult terrain day and night in a state of weary alertness. Kakashi was in the lead, and Tenten trailed behind, protecting Sasuke and the team's healer in the center.

Naruto hacked away at the vines crossing his path with a machete. He was keeping unusually tight-lipped for his reputation as a boisterous blond.

"Listen up." Kakashi said.

The young men and women moved closer to their guide but kept on walking.

"We'll be leaving the forest by tomorrow. After that, we'll be on the road disguised as civilians. You remembered your parts?"

"Of course we do." grumbled Sakura.

"Now now, I'm just making sure. Once you reach the border, you're heading off without me, so I won't be there to cover for your mistakes."

Kakashi waited for one of them to react to the barb. He was dissapointed by the silence. They've outgrown me, he thought to himself.

"Any questions?"

WHACK.

Naruto's machete swung inches from the jonin's head.

"You missed a branch." The blond muttered and moved ahead.

* * *

Naruto took the first watch as usual.

The ninja carefully scaled a tree trunk and positioned himself on the largest branch he could find. Once satisfied with his view over the camp, he ripped open the cover of his packed rations and began eating.

He rubbed his eyes when he had finished and watched his teammates prepare to sleep. Drop into their bets was more fitting. He nearly chuckled when Sasuke fell asleep minutes after sitting down to meditate only to fall face-down and try again.

The blond's eyes shifted upwards, piercing through the forest canopy. The moon was out, a beautiful silver crescent. Stars dotted the deep purple sky. He tried occupying himself by looking for the constellations and trying to remember what they meant. Soon, the forest was quiet. In the growing solitude, his thoughts grew louder until he couldn't ignore them anymore.

What was wrong with him? Why did it feel so wrong and disgusting? It really shouldn't, and Naruto didn't know whether he should be angry at himself or sad that he felt that way.

He'd killed a man. Smacked him against a tree and felt his ribs break. That man was seconds away from gutting his teacher and by all accounts going for Sasuke. Naruto had every reason to do what he did, every justification and every right... so what was wrong with him?

Naruto watched the stars and wondered how he could have done things differently. He could have simply knocked the man off his feet, or blew him away with less power. He could have stopped to think for a moment, like they always told him to, and let Sakura freeze him or Tenten bind him.

It made him feel guilty.

The worst part was that he already killed hundreds of ninja, and he felt guiltier about that one man than all the others combined.

With his own hands, he'd crushed, asphyxiated, burned and blasted away opponents by the dozen, seeing them as nothing more than targets. The scene played again in front of his eyes. Power had flowed from his Ring like a torrent, pouring outward as storms of fire. Inside his head, a presence rewarding him for every death and edging him to seek more.

Naruto shook his head as a nightly breeze washed away the memories of fire and death.

Back then, he'd been fourteen years old and his village was being invaded. Troops from the Sound and the Sand had led a full-scale assault on Konoha, led by the traitor Orochimaru. Sarutobi had held his hand... he'd told him that the village relied on Naruto to protect it, that without him his friends would be killed or worse, that if he did not become the cold warrior they expected him to be, evil men from the Council would find someone else to bear the Ninth Ring...

Fourteen year old Naruto had jumped into battle and destroyed the majority of the invaders. Fourteen year old Naruto had been labelled a hero, had felt proud of what he had done and went to sleep wishing he could do it again.

Naruto was now seventeen and worried that his friends saw him as a mass-murderer. A weapon for the village. A cold killing machine. His friends accepted him only because he was on their side, because he protected _them _and not another village. Naruto worried that having killed so many, the next kill would be _easy_ and that would make him someone he never wanted to become.

When Naruto looked up at the stars shining between the leaves, he wished that he'd never have to kill again.

* * *

Tenten woke Sakura, who then woke Sasuke, who kicked Naruto out of his slumber.

"Get ready quickly, children." Kakashi asked. "We've leaving the forest today and I want to cover as much ground as possible once we're on the road."

"_Good morning_ and would you please stop calling us children?"

The jounin smiled back at Sakura as she glared at him.

"Stop it, both of you!" Tenten cried from her bedside.

Sakura threw her hands up in the air and sighed, waiting for Naruto to call for breakfast so that she could move away.

"Good mooor-ning" the blond yawned, as if on cue. "What's for break-"

"Cook it yourself!" Sakura cried.

Having dumped her morning irritation on someone else, Sakura walked over to her bags and started packing with a grin. Sasuke watched the exchange silently, knowing from experience that his teammates had a special brand of 'friendship'.

* * *

As Kakashi had promised, it did not take long for the group to find a beaten trail leading out of the forest.

The trees quickly became shorter and spaced farther apart, while the bushes dried into lighter colors. Leaving the forest made them blink furiously. One moment they had been sheltered by a thick layer of leaves and branches, and the next, bright sunlight assaulted their eyes.

In front of them lay a road curving around the edge of the forest to each side. Two pairs of parallel pairs of tracks dug smooth channels into the dried earth on either side of the road, bordered by ancient tree stumps and yellow grass.

"Is this it?" Naruto asked, still breathing heavily from their morning charge across the forest.

Kakashi nodded and reached inside his jounin vest.

Sakura breathed out and crouched to sit.

"Not now." Kakashi snapped. He held a mechanical watch in his hand. "Get back into the forest. Our transport is late."

The four ninja's faces tightened at the news. Being 'late' was one of the worst things that could happen in the ninja business. They scrambled back behind the trees and took cover.

"Kakashi?"

"We're waiting for a for-wheeled carriage. The horses are black and white." the jounin whispered. "Get changed."

Naruto and Sakura stared at him. Sasuke simply reached for his backpack.

"Now! Plan B!"

With apprehensive looks at each other, they stripped off their ninja gear and hurried to get into bland civilian clothing.

"Done?"

"Yes..." they droned back.

Kakashi consulted his watch again, carefully peered at both ends of the road and nodded to himself.

"Something must have happened. We're on time, they're not."

"Are we going to implement our backup plan, teacher?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah yeah. We're walking to the border."

Tenten didn't bother muffling her groan.

* * *

The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Watefalls wasn't just a line drawn on a map. It was very simply the edge between Konoha's forest and Waterfall's hills.

On the barren land separating the two nations was a border control pos. Over time, it had grown into a trade station. The trade station found itself surrounded by a market, and around the market popped up hotels, brothels and taverns. After sunset, it was a puddle of light in the surrounding darkness, the multi-colored lanterns and shop signs casting long shadows on both sides of the border.

Now, the group of five casually walked into the bustling town of Kokkyo Boeki.

Tenten ignored her sweaty, itchy wool robes for a moment to gawk. To her, the lights and sounds were simply _sublime. _There was music, and the sweet smells of cooking and perfume, and she could see from where she was the merchants parade in jewelery and dance with women wearing dresses of the most-

"Tenten."

The girl refocused her eyes on Naruto's hand waving in front if her face.

"What?!" she said. Her cheeks reddened with realization.

Naruto pulled back, startled. "Hey, are you sure you're not too tired from today's walk? You looked kinda..."

"It's nothing!" she grumbled and sped up to Kakashi and Sasuke.

The kunoichi carefully reigned in her emotions as she did so, feeling embarassed. She very rarely left the village; after the Invasion, she had been pretty much confined to it. Only heroes like Naruto or jounin like Kakashi were sent on missions to faraway lands. Speaking of which...

"Umm... Sasuke?"

The Uchiha faced her calmly. "Yes, Tenten?"

The earthbender girl cleared her throat.

"Don't _you_ find the lights pretty?"

The boy frowned and looked away. Tenten's yes widened and she raised a hand to her mouth... had she just asked if the lights were- That question was really stupid in retrospect. Tenten felt really stupid. She had let the fatigue do the talking. An amused glance from Kakashi confirmed it for her.

A cold feeling settled in her stomach. Years of building up a reputation as a tough, cold shinobi had been destroyed by a single sentence. Now they'll think I'm a girly girl like Sakura, she thought. Half of her wanted to scream 'So what?!' and the other half cringed as she imagined Naruto and Sasuke going about protecting her and not letting her do what she wanted...

Tenten held her breath when she noticed Sasuke's eyes facing the town, a contemplative expression on his face.

"Tenten..." he said. "I do find them aesthetically pleasing, if a bit too bright."

He paused.

"I'm surprised you find them that way-"

"It was just a question!" Tenten snapped back and stomped away, troubled.

The group had walked past the town's outskirts and were nearing the first rows of buildings. The number of people that walked past grew steadily, as did the sounds and smells.

Suddenly, Kakashi halted.

Tenten looked up and stepped back behind the jounin.

Three individuals stood before them. Black, hooded cloaks hid them in the only unlit spot of the road. One of them stepped forward, a grin apparent under the hood.

Naruto gulped. Sasuke shuffled next to his teammates while Sakura rested a hand on her gourd.

"We've been wating for you, Kakashi."

* * *

**Yeah, cliffhanger. Better than ending the rather uneventful chapter with a _coat_hanger, don't you think?**


End file.
